Swingin’ Harlem @Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam

May 5, 2018

New York Round Midnight is one of the biggest jazz productions of this moment and is ideal for the theater audience with a broad taste, especially for lovers of live music. With no less than eleven musicians from the cream of the Dutch jazz scene, it not only portrays jazz in its ‘heyday’, but let also lets one understand how vibrant and dynamic that music sounds today.

“No flirting, no getting drunk. Keep your shoes shined and keep playing.” These were the golden rules for musicians in the clubs of Harlem in the 20’s and 30’s Hardly anyone liked it, but that didn’t matter. While alcohol was officially prohibited, nightlife flourished as never before. And you were only considered a club if you had a good jazz band on stage.

The musical performance, Swinging Harlem, takes you deep into the nightclubs in the New York district of Harlem, where jazz was life’s most important sideshow. The fierce competition and relaxed atmosphere led to the flourish of some exciting music as well as producing a good number of prominent bands, such as the orchestras of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson. Distinctive musicians such as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller were embraced by the public.

What was it really like in the clubs in Harlem? What was the influence of the Mafia and the Jewish “Kosher Nostra” on the music? What is a flapper girl? And who or what is a reefer man?

The creators of New York Round Midnight had earlier success with the show “A Night at the Club. With “Swingin ‘Harlem’ they provide a brand new evening of great music by talented and renowned Dutch jazz musicians, interspersed with engaging, juicy stories by comedian Jeffrey Spalburg and jazz writer/presenter Koen Schouten.